Mendota Heights Solicitor Ordinances Up for Review

For Mendota Heights residents, fresh rules for peddlers and solicitors could clarify just who should be knocking at the door and who should take their business elsewhere.

The Mendota Heights City Council began Tuesday night to discuss in earnest changes that will update city ordinances that date back to 1987 regarding peddlers, solicitors/canvassers and transient merchants.

The new ordinance language up for review Tuesday is taken from the League of Minnesota Cities, and makes receiving a license more rigorous and provides for background checks, which are not required under existing statute.

While the language is fair, Mendota Heights Police Chief Mike Aschenbrener said he would prefer even more restrictive language that would allow only those activities protected by the U.S. Constitution and a limited list of exceptions, such as newspaper deliverers and grocery delivery services.

That scenario eliminates the need for licensing, though groups included in the list of exceptions would need to register with the police department.

Council member Liz Petschel said that the more restrictive route would reduce the workload for the police department.

However, council member Ultan Duggan suggested that the more restrictive language may go too far, saying it was possibly “anti-entrepreneurship.”

While the council could decide to prohibit activities such as door-to-door sales of magazines and landscaping services by Minnesota companies, they cannot however prohibit interstate commerce. Companies from other states peddling in Minnesota cannot be prevented from operating, according to Aschenbrener.

Mayor Sandra Krebsbach asked that a revised version of the ordinance be prepared for the next council meeting, scheduled for July 5.